Deng Xiaoping
(1904 - 1997)
Deng Xiaoping was a Chinese revolutionary,
military commander and statesman. He served
as the paramount leader of the People's Republic
China from 1978 to 1989. After the death of
Mao Zedong in 1976, Deng rose to power and
led China through a period of Reform and Opening
Up that transformed China's economy into
a socialist market economy. He is widely
regarded as the "Architect of Modern China".
Despite his contributions to China's
modernisation, Deng's legacy also marked by
controversy. He ordered the military crackdown
on 1989 Tiananmen Square protests,
which ended his political reforms and remains
a subject of global criticism.
Deng died on 19 February 1997, at the aged of 92
from a lung infection and Parkinson's disease.
